Have you ever heard of
Altrei lupine coffee? If not, then it’s time for us to introduce you to this
Slow Food Presidium and tell you everything you need to know about it.
The somewhat different South Tyrolean coffee
Surely you’re one of those people who like to start the day with a cup of coffee in the morning, right? Whether it’s black or with milk, from a traditional mocha or an automatic machine: Coffee is an essential part of the day for most people. And that’s why we’re introducing you to a very
special type of coffee here. It’s grown in
Altrei, a small, remote
mountain village in the south of South Tyrol, right on the border with Trentino.
Altrei lupine coffee
It’s over
100 years old and was used as a coffee substitute until the 1960s. The lupin was then gradually replaced by the coffee bean. Some farmers from Altrei continued to grow lupines – fortunately! Lupine coffee was rediscovered at the turn of the millennium and the
Altrei Lupine Coffee Growers’ Association has been in existence
since 2005. This organisation cultivates and preserves the culture of growing, roasting, and marketing lupine coffee. The finished coffee is called “
Voltruier Lupine”, in reference to the dialect name of the village (“Voltrui”), and is sold in Cavalese in nearby Trentino.
Photo: Thomas Monsorno/Ferienregion Südtirols Süden
More than just coffee!
The Altrei lupine is more than just a coffee substitute. It is often used as a
flavouring agent in various products, for example in the “Lupinus” beer from Val di Fiemme, in schnapps, or in chocolate from Cavalese.
Part of the Slow Food Presidia
The Altrei lupine coffee is part of the
Slow Food Presidia. These are projects that protect
small-scale quality production and traditional food crafts. In addition to the Altrei lupine coffee, the Ur-Paarl bread from Val Venosta/Vinschgau, the Graukäse cheese from Valle Aurina/Ahrntal, the Villnösser Brillenschaft sheep, the Schnalser Transhumanzschaf sheep, and the Grauviehrasse (Alpine gray cattle) cows belong to the South Tyrolean Slow Food Presidia. Membership supports small producers, such as the Altrei lupine growers, and
makes their products known worldwide.